1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus for displaying program contents and a method for displaying program contents in which a table of on-air programs indicating the title of program being on-air and a table of programs of specified period of time indicating the titles of programs to be broadcast within a predetermined period of time can be selected and displayed.
2. Description of Related Art
In recent years, it has been provided a system in which a television broadcasting signal (a broadcasting wave) is changed into a digital signal and broadcast through artificial satellites such as a broadcasting satellite or a communication satellite or the like and received at an individual home. In this type of system, since many channels can be assured, for example, it is possible to broadcast a quite large number of types of programs.
In such a system as described above, since the number of programs which can be broadcast is increased, it is possible that an electronic program guide (EPG: Electronic Program Guide) for use in selecting a desired program is broadcast together with the program, the guide is displayed at a monitor device and a user (viewer) can perform a fast and positive choice of the desired program in reference to the displayed electronic program guide. It is possible for the user to attain a fast and positive recognition and choice of the desired program in reference to the displayed electronic program guide through an application of GUI (Graphical User Interface) on the display unit.
As an electronic equipment, a television set (a television receiver), for example, has been required to show some multi-functions such as displaying many kinds of program contents or a multi-media function operated through a communication network in order to attain a more multi-functional state in it.
Almost all of the electronic program tables also called as an electronic program guide are processed such that all the data (for example, data of about one-week of programs) transmitted through a transponder used in a satellite broadcasting system are edited and displayed.
In view of the foregoing, in the case that the electronic program table was constituted in the prior art in order to decide sort conditions or the like for selecting categories of program, for example, the user returned (moved) to another menu screen other than the electronic program table to set the sort condition, resulting in that the operation of the sort was quite troublesome for the user.
Or, some electronic program table could set the program category setting condition in the same screen. However, in order to move a cursor from the program title displaying section to the category setting section, it was quite troublesome due to the fact that the cursor was moved up to a button on the screen for moving the cursor to the category setting section (either the left end or the right end of the screen or the center position in the screen), a user had to press a button for directing the cursor to the category setting section and further release the cursor from the program title displaying section.
In the case that a user operated the electronic program table through a remote controller unit, for example, the user frequently lost the position of the cursor due to the fact that the cursor could not display a locus of the motion of the cursor during its motion when the cursor was moved from the button on a certain screen to another button on the screen in the case that the pointer display was carried out through the cursor when the cursor was moved in the electronic program table.
Even if it is assumed to set the case in which program categories can be sorted from each other in one screen of the electronic program table, it is estimated that a pop-up window or the like must be newly displayed by moving the cursor to a certain button to determine the category. However, in the case of this prior art system, it is frequently found that a user does not take any notice of presence of a key due to the fact that the key for setting the sort conditions is newly displayed through the pop-up window and further the key is present in the pop-up window.
Since it is not clearly indicated whether the cursor is being moved at the program title displaying section or the cursor is being moved in other sections, i.e. an active area is not distinctly separated from other areas, there is present a certain possibility that the user may not determine which active area is applied as a true active area.
In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for displaying program contents and a method for displaying program contents in which the aforesaid problems are eliminated and a setting of the channel condition or a setting of category can be carried out easily on one screen for both a table of on-air program and a table of program of specified period of time.
In accordance with the present invention, the aforesaid object is accomplished by the apparatus for displaying program contents characterized in that the same is comprised of a displaying means having a screen; and a selection means for selecting and displaying a table of on-air program for indicating the title of an on-air program being broadcast within a program data supplied through a broadcasting wave and a table of program of specified period of time for indicating the title of the program to be broadcast within a specified period of time and displaying them on the screen of the displaying means in such a way that the table of on-air program and the table of program of the specified period of time may be provided with a channel condition setting section for sorting each of the channels and a category setting section for sorting the category of the program.
In the present invention, the displaying means has a screen. The selecting means may select and display the table of on-air program indicating the title of the program being broadcast within the program data supplied through the broadcasting wave and the table of program of specified period of time indicating the title of program to be broadcast within a specified period of time. In addition, the selecting means can be displayed at the screen of the displaying means in such a way that the table of on-air program and the table of program of specified period of time may be provided with a channel condition setting section for sorting each of the channels and a category setting section for sorting a category of program.
With such an arrangement as above, a user can display any one of the table of on-air program and the table of program of specified period of time and further can display each of the channel condition setting section and the category setting section in one screen even if the table of on-air program is selected or the table of program of specified period of time is selected.
In view of the foregoing, it is possible to set the channel and the category in the table of on-air program in one screen and further to set the channel condition and the category even in the table of program of specified period of time, resulting in that the setting of channel condition or the setting of category can be easily performed.
In the present invention, the table of on-air program preferably has a program title displaying section for indicating a program title, a channel condition setting section and a category setting section, wherein a displayed state in one area selected by a cursor and another displayed state in the other area not selected by a cursor are changed. With such an arrangement as above, a user can judge it positively which area is selected and whether or not the other areas are areas not selected.
In the present invention, the table of program of specified period of time preferably has a program title displaying section for indicating a program title, a channel condition setting section and a category setting section, wherein a displaying state in the area selected by the cursor and a displaying state in the area not selected by the cursor are changed. With such an arrangement as above, a user can clearly discriminate an active area selected by the cursor and an area not selected by the cursor in the table of program of specified period of time.
In the present invention, the locus of motion of the cursor is preferably displayed in the table of on-air program or the table of program of specified period of time in the case that the cursor is used as a pointer indicating a desired indicating area. With such an arrangement as above, the user can easily perform the operation with the cursor without losing the position when the cursor is moved.
In the present invention, as a cell display of each of the program titles constituting the program title displaying section, a terminal processing for the cell display is changed in reference to one state in which the program is started or ended and the other state in which the program is being continued. With such an arrangement as above, it is possible for the user to perform a clear discrimination whether the program is started or finished or the program is being continued or not.
In accordance with the present invention, the aforesaid object is accomplished by the method for displaying the program contents characterized in that each of the table of the on-air program and the table of the program of the specified period of time is combined with a channel condition setting section for sorting the channels and a category setting section for sorting the program categories and is displayed on the screen of the displaying means when the table of on-air program indicating the title of the program being broadcast in the program data supplied through a broadcasting wave and the table of program of the specified period of time indicating the title of the program to be broadcast within the specified period of time are selected.
In accordance with the present invention, each of the table of the on-air program and the table of the program of the specified period of time is combined with a channel condition setting section for sorting the channels and a category setting section for sorting the program categories and is displayed on the screen of the displaying means when the table of on-air program indicating the title of the program being broadcast in the program data supplied through a broadcasting wave and the table of program of the specified period of time indicating the title of the program to be broadcast within the specified period of time are selected.
With such an arrangement as above, in the case that a user selects either a table of the on-air program or a table of the program of specified period of time, the channel condition setting section and the category setting section can be combined to each other and seen in one screen without fail, so that either the channel condition setting or the category setting can be easily performed at either the table of on-air program or the table of the program of specified period of time.